During the wedding in Act II of Our Town by Thornton Wilder, the choir sings Blessed Be the Tie That Binds. Discuss the impact of the song on...

 The
beautiful hymn Bless Be the Tithe That Binds purveys s theme i. Men are
gregarious and require human relationships to flourish. The song permeates the play during
important aspects of human connections.

The three verses of the song
juxtapose the phases of a man and woman relationship and the acts in the play. 

• Act I=Daily life
• Act II=Love and Marrriage


• Act  III=Death 

 

'The fellowship of kindred minds/ is like to that above.'

Act I

The audience is introduced to the
characters in the play: the Webb family, the Gibbs, the Stage Manager,  and other minor
characters.  The important word in the  first verse of the song is kindred
which means people who have a common belief.

The other important phrase is
Christian love.  That is the connection that Wilder asserts throughout the play. Although the
song is a Christian hymn, Wilder does not stress the Christian aspect, but rather the
significance of love between human beings. 

The first act shows several
kinds...